I would like some information on these strings. First, is the tension unbearable? I'm used to medium light Chromes. Second, I have a 1983 precision with a very thin(front to back) neck. Will I have bowing problems? Will I have to make the slots in my nut wider? Right now, the slots are stock width. Thanks in advance for all the help.
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LaBella original 1954 Jamerson--need advice
- Thread starter lowjoe1
- Start date
Well, for what it's worth, I switched to the 1954s from Chromes on a fairly thin-necked Italia. Didn't like the loose tension of the Chrome B, despite its girth. Nut filing was required to get that fat boy in, and I couldn't get it to stop rattling at the string height I preferred.
The 1954s fixed all that. Slightly more tension, but I adjusted in a few days, and eventually preferred the new feel. Really dense, solid, percussive sound -- which is great if that suits your style. But forget about ever slapping these things.
Don't worry about bowing; just adjust the truss as needed. And don't worry about slot width, since the Chromes are even wider.
The 1954s fixed all that. Slightly more tension, but I adjusted in a few days, and eventually preferred the new feel. Really dense, solid, percussive sound -- which is great if that suits your style. But forget about ever slapping these things.
Don't worry about bowing; just adjust the truss as needed. And don't worry about slot width, since the Chromes are even wider.
Any modern bass with a functioning truss rod should be able to handle (just about) any string.
You might need to file the nut a little to get that 110 in the E slot. You might not.
The Jamersons are stiff, but they aren't ridiculous.
You can get a very good setup with them--little relief and low action. Turn up the amp and play lightly, and you'll soon not even notice them. You will notice the sound--fat and driving.
A broken in set of Jamersons is a thing of beauty.
You might need to file the nut a little to get that 110 in the E slot. You might not.
The Jamersons are stiff, but they aren't ridiculous.
You can get a very good setup with them--little relief and low action. Turn up the amp and play lightly, and you'll soon not even notice them. You will notice the sound--fat and driving.
A broken in set of Jamersons is a thing of beauty.
Had 'em on my p-bass and she never sounded better, but I found the tension pretty high and that 110 E especially. I'm now using 760FL (Deep Talkin' Flat Lights). Not quite the same thump, but much easier on the hands.
I had them on my VS '62 Precision ( bought new in April 1983) when they were still labeled "Old Originals". That bass is VERY thin front-to-back. No problem at all except I didn't like the strings. Lottsa thump bur not enough note definition. Had them on for months, tried something else, tried the same set again. Finally gave them to s friend after about five years. That bass has had the same set of GHS Precision flats on it for at least five years. Perfect for me with all the essential thump of the LaBellas and a precise note. I play bass, not a kick drum.
You shouldn't have any problem as long as you know how to properly adjust a truss rod- pre-stress the neck and only snug the nut instead of expecting the nut to do all the work.
John
You shouldn't have any problem as long as you know how to properly adjust a truss rod- pre-stress the neck and only snug the nut instead of expecting the nut to do all the work.
John
I like the "1954-Jamersons" on a chunky P-Bass neck.
On a thin Jazz-Bass neck, the were high tension.
I have the Labella Deep Talkin' 760FM's. They're the ones that are just lighter than the Jamerson's and I don't find the tension to be very high at all. I absolutely love the tone of these strings.
I don't think the tension on the Jamersons is that different from the rest of the Labellas. I tried them and found them much too large for my taste in terms of gauge, but the neck didn't need any adjustment from the previous strings.
I have had them on my jazz necked p-bass for a year, and absolutely love them! No problems with the neck. I did have to widen the nut slots. There's no way around that. I record a lot, and am just amazed at how fat and full they sound on everything. I can't play fast, blazing lines like I can on my round strung j bass, but who cares! With these I feel like I own the bottom! I've also tried both FLs and FM on my j basses. The heavier FMs have a lot more thump and meat in the booty!
I actually find the jamerson set to have more definition than the 760fl I can get some serious harmonics because of the high tension. I have them on a 60's cv p and they work perfectly with that bass
I went from Jamerson's to the FM's to the FL's....it wasn't so much the tension but I find the lighter gauge sounds crisper and more focused....they still have that Labella thump though.
They pulled the headstock too far forward on my Fullerton P- the neck is extremely shallow front to back and does straighten out with an truss rod adjustment, but the very top of the neck still bows. I got worried about destroying the neck permanently and put them on a different bass. Nothing sounds as fat and thumpy as these strings, though, and overdriven through tubes gives some classic and mighty powerful bass tones.
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
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- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
My preferred gauge is in the 50-110 range...anything less feels all wrong, but that's a very personal thing. Certainly not unmanageable though...I'd be interested in these strings...Deep Talkin' Bass are still my favorite flats that I've tried so far 
When I got my '62AVRI P, I had to adjust the neck to set the action. It came with roundwounds on it and the action was too high. I adjusted the trust rod to get the strings nice and low (the way I like them). Then when I put the LaBella's on (760FM), I had to actually let up some tension on the neck. This showed me that the tension on these strings really wasn't more than the rounds that were on it.
